Ratchet mechanism



E. w. BULLARD. RATCHET MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 13, I920.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921..

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E. W. BULLARD. RATCHET MECHANISM. APPLICATION nusn SEPT- 13, 1920.

Patented Aug UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN W. BULLARD, OFWH ITNEYVILLE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO., NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

RATCHE'I' MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7 Patented 30, 1921.

' Application filed September 13,1920. Serial No. 409,854.

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Be it known that I, EDWIN'VV. BULLARD, a

citizen of the United States, residing at lVhitneyville, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ratchet Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the charaoters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application and represent, in

Figure l. A View of a bit-brace embodying my improved ratchet-mechanism the crank-lever of the brace being broken away.

Fig.2. A reverse plan view thereof.

Fig. 3. An enlarged view thereof, partly in elevation and partly in vertical longitudinal central section.

Fig. 4. A view thereof in vertical transverse section on the line 44: of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5. A view, partly in plan and partly in horizontal central section, the shank of the operating-handle being located in its inoperative position topermit both pawls to be engaged with the ratchet by their respective springs.

Fig 6. A corresponding view with the shank turned a quarter turn for the retraction of one of the pawls.

Fig. 7. A detached view of the operatinghandle and its shank in side elevation.

Fig. 8. A front view thereof.

Fig. 9. An enlarged transverse view thereof on the line 9--9 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10. A detached plan view of one of the two pawls.

Fig. 11. face view thereof.

Fig. 12. An end view thereof.

My invention relates to an improved ratchet-mechanism of the type in which a pair of complementary longitudinally-slidable contacting pawls are employed to coact with a ratchet, the object of the invention being to produce a simple, convenient and reliable mechanism of the character described.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a ratchet-mechanism characterized by a pair of complementary, semi-circular, contacting pawls, the flat, inner, contacting faces of which are located in the plane of the axis of the ratchet and correspondingly cut away for the reception between them of the shank of an operatinghandle arranged transversely to the housing of the pawls "and provided with a grip lying alongside the housing of the mechanism.

In carrying out my invention, I employ an operating-handle, the shank 13 whereof has bearing in a bore 14 extending transproducing a; semicircular portion or stem 19, the corners 20 of which coact with shoulders 21 formed by cutting notches 22 in the contacting faces of the complementary semicircular, longitudinally-slidable contacting pawls 23 which are located in a bore 24; formed in the housing 15 concentric with the axis thereof, this bore being intersected at a right angle by the bore 14 formed in the housing for the reception of the shank of the operating-handle. The corners 20 aforesaid are flanked by longitudinal detent-grooves 25 which coact with detentshoulders 26 produced by notching the outer corners of the shoulders 21 of the pawls.

The pawls are normally urged by helical springs 27 into engagement with the teeth of a ratchet 28 located within a ratchet sleeve 29 formed integral with the housing, the said springs being interposed between the pawls and the inner end of the cranklever 30 which isinserted into the outer end of the bore 2 1 and fastened in place by transverse pin 31. The ratchet 28 is held in place by a screw 32 mounted in a washer 33 set into a rabbet-3 l in the upper end of the ratchet-sleeve 29. As shown, the ratchet 28 forms a part of a head 35 carry? ing a chuck 36, but my invention is not concerned with these details since it is adapted for wrenches and the like as well as for bitbraces. m

WVhen the'shank 13 is turned by the grip 17 into its inoperative or transverse position, as shown in Fig. 5, the springs 27 0pcrate to engage the noses of both 'pawls with the teeth of the ratchet, as shown in the said figure. On the other hand, when the shank 13 is turned a quarter turn in either direction from its inoperative position, as in Fig. 6, one or the other of the pawls is retracted by the engagement of the adjacent corner 20 of the shank with its shoulder 21. The pawl is held'in its retracted position by the engagement of its auxiliary shoulder 26 with the complementary detentgroove 25 of the shank.

As shown, the contacting faces of the pawls are located in the plane of the vertical axis of the mechanism while their noses are located in planes parallel with the said axis, this being one of the characteristic features of my improved ratchetmeohanism.

I do not, in this application, broadly claim the use in a ratchet-mechanism, of a pair of complementary, semi-circular, sliding pawls having their contacting faces located in the plane of the axis of the ratchet, so as to utilize substantially the full diameter of the pawls, since that feature is the subject of a generic claim in my co-pending application, Serial No. 409,858, this particular application being directed to the combination with the feature in question of a particular mechanism for operating the pawls.

I claim:

In a ratchet-mechanism, the combination with a ratchet-housing having a ratchetchamber and a cylindrical pawl-chamber located at a right angle to the said ratchetchamber, of a ratchet located in the ratchetchamber, a pair of complementary semi-cylindrical pawls sliding one upon the other,

having their flat contacting faces located in the plane of the axis of the ratchet and formed with opposed complementary cuts providing operating-shoulders, a shank hav ing bearing at its ends in the said housing and passing between the pawls in the plane of their contacting surfaces 1n positlon to co-act with the shoulders of their said cuts a EDWIN \V. BULLARD.

lVitnesses:

ERIK S. PALME A. E. HODGSON. 

